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3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(Ne Medel.)

J. ERICSSON.

SUBMARINE GUN.

Hwawaw im 1 U..

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(N0 Mdel.) Y 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. ERICSSON.

SUBMARINE GUN.

Patented 'Aug 9, 1881.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 3; J. ERIGSSGN.

SUBMARINB GUN.

Patented Aug. 9, 1'881.

To all choca it may concern: Be it known that I, J o HN ERICSSON, of the city, county,and Stato of New York, have inven'ted certain newr and useful Improvements Fig. 3 is a front view corresponding ,with Fig. 5o 2. Fig. 4 is a central section illustrating the method ofattaching the temporary valve toa muzale-loading gun. Fig. 5 exhibits a central longitudinal section of the breech portion of' following is a speciiication,refereuce being had to the accompanying drawings.

These improvements in guns are especially intended for the use of torpedoes. LF-hey'. are 1o applicable to breech-loading guns, the muzzles of which arepresented through, and fitted water-tight within, openings below the water-line. in thebows of the vessels on which they are to be used, and also to guns, either breech-loading or muzzle-loadin g, which maybe loaded on the decks of vessels of ordinary construction, and afterward'placed-on and red trom-simp-` i ports on the exterior of such vessels below the water-line. p 2o In carrying out my invention I use between .attached powder-casc- Fig. 6 is a rear View of the breechot the gun. `The gun A, which has a smooth bore, may be and isrepresented as made of flanged scc'- .tions,lwith :dange-joints at a a. vlt is shown 6o as a fixture within the vessel, which is practically a floating gun-carriage, and is represented as constructed of iron or steel. The breech rests on a bed, b, on the keelson of the vessel. The muzzle is Iitted into a port or opening, p, 65 providedfor-it in the stem B orbow of the vessel, with a shoulder, c, inside, and is secured by a nut, d, screwed on it outside, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The breech-loading system of' the projectile and its projeotingchargea pis the gun thus applied may be of the well-,known 7o. ton, which is iitted gas-tight to the bore of the kind, shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 6,- or of any gun 5, and onepart of my invention, which -is other suitable kind.

applicable to bpthmuzzle-loading and breech- C is the metal piston, tted with metallic loading guns, consists in a box or case which packing j' of any suitable kind-such, for incontains the projecting-charge ofpowder, and stance, as is used iu steam-engine pistons. is of a diameter much smaller than the' bore of This-piston is fitted-to workin the smooth bore the gun, and is attached to the aforesaid pisof the gun Alike the piston works in the cy'ltonby a supporting rod or stem, otwood or. inder of' a steam-engine., The saidipiston is 3o other material, entering a socket'in the back made with a central tsocket, c, (see Fig. 5,) 1n

' thereof, the said case and its contained charge its back for thereception of the supportingo occupying but asmall portion of the space left rod or stem g, of wood or other suitable mate- `in tlie chamber of' the gun between the said rial, to which the powder-case D is attached. piston and the breech. l This powder-case, which may be of tin plate Myinventipn further consists inanovelconand in the form ot' a cylinder, has a central struction of, and novel mode of securing to socket, `i1, forV the reception of the. stein g. 85 the muzzle of a gun for firing under water, a When placed iu the gun its rear endis uneow frangible valve which serves to exclude water ered except by a piece of netting,'which serves from the bore of the gun before the discharge to prevent the powder. from falling ont, but 4o of the projectile, but'whiclris destroyed' by the throughwhich the iiiefroni the fuse can reach projectile during the act. of its discharge. the Whole of the rear surface off the-charge.; go Y Figure l in the'drawings is a longitudinal By this method of applying the powder-.case central sectional view of a torpedofvessel bav- "in the gun thepowder, which occupies buta ingitted to its bowa breech-loading gun with, small portion of the chamber ot the gun, is my improvements. Fig.2exl1ibits a 1ongitudi kept out of contactwitli the gun at .the time nal central section of the forward portion of of its ignition,and injurious local pressure on the gun, and shows the Vstem of the vessel, the the gun is avoided, and theforce resulting from temporary and permanent inupzzlewalves, and the explosionoi the charge 1s caused to start the means of workingthesaid permanentvalve. the piston easily against the torpedo orprojectile E. This projectile is represented as occupying nearly the whole length of the bore of the gun in front of the piston C.

F is the permanent valve for keeping the muzzle of the gun closed before and during the loading. vThis valve is represented as attached to an elbow-lever, G, which is hinged to the stem of the vessel by a hinge or pivotI above the projecting muzzle of the gun. It may be facedwith an india-rubber gasket, or otherwise fitted to the seat j, provided for it at the muzzle o f the gun. This seat j is V:shown as-consisting'of Ya separate ring of joint, t,

brass or gun-metal fitted to the muzzle. The

elbow-lever G is connected, as shown at k in Fig. 2, with. a rod, l, which passes-through a hole in the stem of the vessel, ,and through a tube, m, which is screwed into the said hole,

and which is fitted at its rear end with a stuft'- ing-box, min which the: said rod is packed. This rod may be manipulated' by any convenient means for the purpose of working the lever G to open and close the'valve; but it is shown as connected with a piston operated by steam or hydraulic pressurc'in'a cylinder,

H, suitably arranged on board the vessel.

The temporary valve, which 'is to he shot J yaway by the projectile, is shown in Figs. 1 and cup-packing,

y2, of `a construction adapted for breech-load- As there represented, it is com` ing guns. posed of `a 'wooden disk, I, furnished with a o, or .other suitable packing, of leather, india'rubber, or other suitable material, and having a hole, q, in its center, which .is coveredfand'closed Water-tight by a piece of india-rubber or other soft and penetrable material, t, secured around the margin. It is furnished,

as shown in Fig. 2, with three or more which may be variously constructed,

catches,

consisting of but which are represented as elastic steel hooks 1' r, which are secured to its through the bore will not afterward face, and which always exert a tendency to spring outward beyond the circumference of thevalve.l The valve, lhus constructed is iutended to fit like a piston to the bore of the gun, and to be inserted thereinto from the breech before inserting the projectile, and pushed for.

`Ward along the bore by a suitable rod, its spring-hooks being confined in the bore of the;

un until it arrives near th'e muzzle, and until the said hooks rr can spring outward after passing a rabbet provided around the interior of the muzzle ofthe gun or the interior of the permanent valve-seat j. The clicking noise .made bythe springing of these hooks into the rabbet will-be audible on board the vessel if the gun, and the valve be pushed further forward. These hooks serve to retain the valve in place against the pressure of the water outside of l the vessel.

For a muzzle-loadinggun the temporary valve, which yisto be applied to the muzzle af l ter loading the gun, will; be modified as shown in Fig. 4, the disk I being fitted into a seat, s, in the muzzle, and secured by a cap, t', of in-` dia-rubber, which its over the muzzle, and may but are'capable of be secured thereto by a binding-cord, u. This cap t also serves as a water-tight covering for closing the 'central hole, q, of the waive. This valve I t or I t', which oii'ers very little resistance to pressure from within the gun,will be shot away by the projectile as the latter begins to' leave the muzzle, and will generally be broken in pieces, and the central portion of it, being of soft material, will oil'er so little resistance to the tiring-pin in the front of theexplosive pro jectile that there will be no'danger of prema ture explosion of the charge contained in the projectile.. Y t z Y Y Y The vessel represented. is constructed'with a double deck, or rather two decks, J J l the space between which I propose generally to make about three feet hgh,an intend to fill with Boats composed of or filled with cork, or iloats consisting of bags. of india-rubber or vother material inflated with air. The vessel is intended to be immersed to such depth that the lower one, J', of these decks will be below v the lwater-line, and the portion of the vessel below it will be protected in a great degree from enemys shot by the' surrounding water. In case of the upper deck, J, or any part ot' the vessel above the deck J being penetrated by a shot, such of the lloats between the two decks as are not destroyed will continue to give buoyancy to the vessel. I also construct all across the vessel above the decks-and in front l 'of the pilot-house M, and in front of the base of the smoke-stack, (the vessel being intended to be propelled by steam-power,) a shield, K, composed` of very heavy armor-plates,which are inclined upward and backward in such manner as to deflect any shot or other projectiles that maystrike it. This shield has abacking `of solid timber, L, that would enable it to re- 'sist shot which might strike it at or nearly at a right' angle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with a'piston fitted to the bore of a gun, of a powder-case and a supporting rod or stem for attaching said case to IOO the said piston, substantially as and for the IIS adapted to pass through the bore of the gun,

springing outward to engage with the muzzle thereof, substantially as herein described.

. J. ERICSSON. Witnesses S. W. TAYLOR,

FREDK. HAYNES. 

